Pedicabs have been known and used through out the world. Conventional pedicabs resemble a rickshaw consisting of a carriage seat with overhead canopy for passengers, and the rear attached to the front portion of an ordinary bicycle for the driver. Such vehicles are quite heavy, they also leave passengers more open to the elements and flying debris, and they do not provide the protection required for a passenger, especially, a child passenger. While newer designs provide more protection, the resulting increased weight is not desirable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,502 (Forbes, et al.), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a recumbent tricycle including a frame, twin rear wheels pivotally mounted to the frame and steerable by a pair of levers pivotally mounted to the frame on either side of a passenger seat. The rear wheels are oriented substantially vertically and are attached to hubs inclined inwardly toward the frame to create a cambered effect which maintains the rear wheels in a forward-facing position as the tricycle moves in a rectilinear path. The single front wheel is preferably driven by a pedal crank assembly mounted rearwardly of the front wheel and forwardly of the passenger seat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,992 (Swartz, et al.), the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses a pedicab with a relatively short turning radius includes a front frame with handle bars on the front end thereof, pedals and a drive sprocket in bearings beneath the handle bars, a driver's seat on the top rear end of the frame and a three-speed hub and driven sprocket on the rear bottom of the frame substantially vertically aligned with the seat, the drive and driven sprockets being connected by an endless chain. A two-wheeled cab is pivotally connected to the rear end of the front frame.
Even with these improvements, a need exists for an improved pedicab.
Thus a need exists for a pedicab which is light weight and can easily be driven by a single individual driver.
A need also exists for a pedicab which has seat belts for the safety and security of passengers, especially, child passengers.
Furthermore, a need also exists for a pedicab that has at least one storage area for carrying supplies.
A further need also exists for a pedicab that has signal indicators to allow the driver to indicate a turn with a signal and then safely make that turn.
This invention overcomes the problems of the prior art. The invention provides a pedicab that is compact and has easy maneuverability for the operator, while providing safety and security to the passengers.